Planning your trip to Egypt and flying to Cairo and wondering if you can buy a tourist sim card at Cairo International Airport? Avoid high roaming charges and slow overseas data roaming plans.

This is the ultimate guide with everything you need to know before buying a sim card at Cairo Airport in 2025.

Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per January 2025, my recommendation, a vlog about my arrival at Cairo Airport, info about eSIMs for Egypt and more.

In the past I used to buy a prepaid sim card in every country, nowadays I always use eSIMs to stay connected.

Traveltomtom also wrote a complete guide on how to buy a prepaid sim card in Egypt and a comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Egypt in 2025.

Table of Contents

RELATED: 8 Best Hotels with Views of the Pyramids of Giza.

Some links in this article about buying a sim card at Cairo Airport are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using an affiliate link I will earn a small commission. This is at absolutely no extra cost to you.

My recommendation

Traveltomtom recommends buying a Vodafone prepaid sim card at Cairo Airport. Vodafone has the best 4G/LTE network in Egypt and great prepaid sim card deals for tourists.

There are no eSIMs available in phone stores in Egypt, nor at Cairo Airport. None of the mobile internet providers in Egypt offer eSIMs, only physical prepaid sim cards. If you want an eSIM simply order one on the internet and be online as soon as the plane lands in Cairo.

There is already an eSIM for Egypt from SimOptions with 10 GB data for just $25.90 USD.

For more eSIM plans check out Traveltomtom's complete guide with the best eSIM for Egypt in 2025.

Buying a tourist sim card at Cairo Airport is more expensive than sim cards in a phone store in the city, but it is worth it getting connected instantly on arrival. Check out my complete guide for buying a prepaid sim card in Egypt in 2025.

Another great alternative is an international sim card with coverage in Egypt. These travel sim cards are valid in up to 141 countries around the world. Perfect for world travelers.

Check out our list of the best international prepaid sim cards for 2025 and pick the one that suits your trip the best.

Why buying a sim card at Cairo Airport

First of all, buying a local prepaid sim card in Egypt is the cheapest way to stay connected, but there are many more reasons I recommend you to buy a local prepaid sim card in Egypt.

Did you know that overseas data plans limit their internet speed? You will mostly be roaming on 3G! We are already in 2025, we want 5G! Although unfortunately there is no 5G yet in Egypt.

Also a reminder that public WiFi is through an UNSECURED network, so you don't want to rely on WiFi either. On top of that free public WiFi is no guarantee that it is actually working or that it is even fast enough to upload a video.

Last but not least, life is simply much easier with a data connection and so is traveling in Egypt with internet on your phone. Think about ordering an Uber. Yes, there is Uber in Cairo and you can order one straight away from Cairo Airport to the city center for less than $10 USD.

Or what about finding nearby restaurants or rooftop bars, looking up info about a historical site you are looking at or simply getting directions from Google Maps.

As I love to document all my travel tips for other travelers I already wrote more than 200 sim card guides from all around the world: Hurghada, Ethiopia, Nairobi, Israel, Lebanon, Istanbul, Italy, Greece, USA, Thailand, United Kingdom, New York, Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, China, Australia, Vietnam and of course a complete guide for finding the best Egypt prepaid sim card.

So next time you are planning your adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid and eSIM advice for your next holiday destination. Bookmark me and let me help you save money when traveling!

Related: Best Views Over The Nile River | Fairmont Nile City Hotel Cairo.

Where to buy a prepaid sim card at Cairo International Airport

The 4 main mobile internet operators in Egypt are: WE, Vodafone, Orange and Etisalat. All of them have stores at Cairo Airport. However, be aware that they are located at the luggage belts and NOT in the arrival hall like usually.

This means that if you want to buy a sim card at Cairo Airport you will have to do it BEFORE you pass the last customs check.

Vodafone, WE and Etisalat are located at luggage belt 4 and 5 and Orange is at luggage belt 1.

we sim card shop ciaro airport

All the sim card shops are open 24 hours and you can use your credit card to buy a sim card for Egypt. American Express cards are NOT accepted, only Visa and Mastercard, or cash in Euros and Dollars.

Sim card registration in Egypt

egypt sim card registration

When buying a sim card at Cairo Airport you only need to show your passport. At the kiosk they take a copy of your passport as well as a copy of your Egypt visa including the entry stamp. Then they will register your new Egypt sim card on your name. You don't need a fingerprint or a passport size photo like in many other African countries.

The registration process takes just a few minutes and your new Egypt sim card will be activated on the spot. Traveltomtom recommends to ALWAYS put the new sim card in your phone and see if it is working before you walk away from the shop.

Prices Egypt prepaid sim cards at Cairo Airport in 2025

All the info and prices are up to date as per January 2025 and prices are in Egyptian Pounds: $1 USD = 50.22 EGP and 100 EGP = $1.99 USD.

We

we egypt sim cards for tourist cairo airport

For the WE Egypt prepaid sim cards for tourists see the above picture.

Traveltomtom does NOT recommend buying a WE prepaid sim card for your trip to Egypt. WE is the smallest mobile internet provider and has a much smaller 4G/LTE network in Egypt. As soon as you leave Cairo you will start having connection issues. Trust me a WE sim card is not worth it for traveling to Egypt.

Check out my complete guide for the best prepaid sim card for tourists in Egypt in 2025 for more details and a comparison of the 4G/5G mobile data network coverage maps of all the mobile internet providers in Egypt and you will understand Traveltomtom does not recommend a WE sim card.

Vodafone Egypt

vodafone egypt sim cards for tourist cairo airport

Vodafone offers 2 tourist sim card packages and so called flex lines that include units that equal MBs. All prepaid sim card plans are valid for 28 days.

Tourist Lines

  • 30 GB data + 200 local minutes + 30 international minutes = 505 EGP - $10 USD

Flex Lines

  • 11.5 GB data = 320 EGP - $6.5 USD
  • 14 GB data = 392 EGP - $8 USD
  • 16 GB data = 420 EGP - $8.5 USD
  • 19 GB data = 463 EGP - $9.5 USD
  • 24.5 GB data = 542 EGP - $11 USD
  • 33 GB data = 656 EGP - $13.5 USD
  • 44.5 GB data = 799 EGP - $16 USD
  • 62 GB data = 942 EGP - $19 USD

Facebook and WhatsApp is unlimited with a Vodafone prepaid sim card.

The Flex Lines work a little complicated as there are so called 'Super Apps', basically social media: Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. but NOT YouTube and TikTok.

In case you use one of the Super Apps then the use of 1 MB equals 0,5 unit. That means if you would only use these social media apps you basically get double data.

Browsing the internet, using YouTube, 1 minute calling or 1 text also equals 1 unit and you are free to use the units exactly as you want to and therefore these Vodafone Egypt prepaid sim card plans are called: Flex Lines.

Orange Egypt

orange egypt sim cards for tourist cairo airport

Orange offers 6 different prepaid sim card plans for tourists that are valid for 30 days.

Be careful... what is displayed is NOT your exact Gigabyte allowance. The Orange Egypt prepaid sim card plans are a bit misleading if you ask me.

Orange also uses 'Super Apps' (social media): Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. However, in this case 1 MB equals 1 MB for these apps and all other apps 1 MB = 2 MB. So if using only Youtube then this package only contains just 8 GB instead of 16 GB.

The cheapest Orange prepaid sim card at Cairo Airport is 280 EGP = $5.5 USD. You get around 9.6 GB data, plus or included 3 GB data for Facebook. I tried to let the guy explain me, but he just kept talking around the bush and not giving me an exact answer!

Sorry Orange Egypt. That is way too complicated. And the last thing I want is to advice travelers to get an Orange prepaid sim card and then end up with much less data then initially expected. Please Orange Egypt, keep it simple for tourists. Now I feel like the prepaid sim card plans are deceiving.

Etisalat Egypt

etisalat egypt sim cards for tourist cairo airport

Etisalat offers the 7 different prepaid sim card plans for tourists at Cairo Airport, all valid for 1 month:

  • 6.75 GB data + 60 minutes = 194 EGP - $4 USD
  • 8.75 GB data + 60 minutes = 222 EGP - $4.5 USD
  • 11.5 GB data + 60 minutes = 265 EGP - $5.5 USD
  • 15 GB data + 60 minutes = 322 EGP - $6.5 USD
  • 20 GB data + 60 minutes = 394 EGP - $8 USD
  • 25 GB data + 60 minutes = 458 EGP - $9.5 USD
  • 50 GB data + 60 minutes = 637 EGP - $13 USD

Best prepaid sim card for Egypt at Cairo Airport

Let's start with evaluating eSIMs for Egypt. Definitely the easiest way to stay connected and recommended of course. But also slightly more expensive than prepaid sim cards.

With an eSIM you have internet on your phone as soon as the plane lands in Cairo and you don't need to worry anymore about buying a sim card at Cairo Airport.

There best-buy eSIM for Egypt is from SimOptions with 10 GB data for just $25.90 USD. That is only $2.6 USD per Gigabyte.

For more eSIM plans check out my comparison with the best eSIM for Egypt in 2025.

Buying a sim card at Cairo Airport is cheaper, but as of January 2025 there are no eSIMs for tourists available in Egypt, only physical prepaid sim cards.

After an extensive research Traveltomtom has rated Vodafone as the best prepaid sim card in Egypt, see for more details my guide about buying a prepaid sim card in Egypt in 2025.

Orange prepaid sim card plans are very complicated to understand and pretty deceiving as the total amount of Gigabytes fluctuates based on your usage. Not recommended!

Etisalat prepaid sim cards for tourists are cheaper than Vodafone and Orange. But Traveltomtom tested an Etisalat sim card in Cairo and Hurghada and was very disappointed with the 4G/LTE network coverage: weak signal, slow data speed.

We sim cards are the least recommended internet provider to use as their network is even weaker than Etisalat.

Therefore Traveltomtom recommends buying a Vodafone prepaid sim card at Cairo Airport. Vodafone has a prepaid sim card deal with 30 GB data + 200 local minutes + 30 international minutes for 505 EGP, which is around $10 USD.

Best eSIM for Egypt

The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Cairo in 2025 is an eSIM. You arrange everything online within just a couple minutes. No more swapping physical sim cards or buying a sim card at Cairo Airport.

You order an eSIM for Egypt on the internet, you receive a QR code, scan it, follow the simple steps and within less than 2 minutes you have an Egypt eSIM installed on your phone.

Upon arrival in Cairo it automatically connects you to an available network and you enjoy data on your phone pretty much when the plane lands.

Check out all FAQ about using eSIMs complete guide with everything you need to know before ordering an eSIM for Egypt in 2025.

Here are some recommendations.

SimOptions

SimOptions is a very trusted eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used SimOptions sim cards for more than 5 years now without ever facing an issue.

Read our honest SimOptions review with all pros and cons.

simoptions esim card plans for egypt

They offer several different eSIMs for Egypt plus one international eSIM valid in 123 countries including Egypt.

  • 1 GB data for 7 days = $4.50 USD
  • 3 GB data for 30 days = $8.90 USD
  • 5 GB data for 30 days = $13.90 USD
  • 10 GB data for 30 days = $25.90 USD
  • 10 GB data for 14 days = $39.90 USD*
  • 20 GB data for 30 days = $47.90 USD
  • 30 GB data for 30 days = $67.90 USD
  • 50 GB data for 30 days = $107.90 USD

* The Orange Holiday World eSIM is valid in 123 countries

Click here to order an international eSIM for Egypt via SimOptions.

The SimOptions eSIMs for Egypt are data-only and incoming and outgoing calls are not supported.

Airalo

Airalo is a reliable eSIM provider and Traveltomtom has used Airalo in more than 50 countries around the world and never faced an issue.

airalo esim card plans for egypt

Have a look at the Airalo eSIM plans for Egypt for 2025:

  • 1 GB data for 7 days = $7 USD
  • 2 GB data for 15 days = $12.5 USD
  • 3 GB data for 30 days = $17.5 USD
  • 5 GB data for 30 days = $26.5 USD
  • 10 GB data for 30 days = $44 USD
  • Unlimited data* for 10 days = $35 USD

* 3 GB per day full speed then 1 Mbps.

Click here to directly order an Egypt eSIM via Airalo.

The above Giza Mobile eSIMs for Egypt are data-only and only valid in Egypt. Incoming and outgoing calls are not supported. The Giza Mobile eSIMs from Airalo operate on the Orange 4G/LTE network, 5G is not supported.

Before ordering an eSIM for Egypt make sure your phone is eSIM compatible and unlocked. Otherwise an eSIM will not work on your phone.

For many more eSIM plans check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for Egypt in 2025.

Order a prepaid sim card for Egypt online

If your phone is not eSIM compatible but you would like to order a sim card for traveling to Egypt online before your trip then check out the following.

Arrive prepared in Egypt with an international prepaid sim card. You order them online and a physical prepaid sim card will be delivered to your home address. You put this sim card in your phone and it automatically connects to an available network upon arrival in Egypt, basically when the plane lands you are instantly online.

orange holiday world international prepaid sim card for egypt

Via SimOptions you are able to order a pre-activated international physical sim card for Egypt:

  • 10 GB data valid in 124 countries for 14 days = $49.90 USD

Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for Egypt via SimOptions.

Also a last reminder that if your phone is eSIM compatible you can easily stay connected with an Egypt eSIM. You order them directly online.

With an eSIM you keep your own phone number from home. Check out my comparison of the best eSIMs for traveling to Egypt in 2025 including a complete guide with answers to all FAQ about using eSIMs.

My experience buying a sim card at Cairo Airport

My first time traveling to Cairo it took me about an hour to figure out all the sim card information, prices and details for this article and of course filming my vlog. At that time I had no clue what was the best mobile internet provider in Egypt and I bought an Etisalat sim card as the staff was very nice and patient with me.

There is free WiFi at Cairo Airport, but at that time I could not connect to it. I wanted to look up the mobile internet network coverage in Egypt for all the mobile internet providers.

As that wasn't possible, I had to believe what they told me, but all mobile internet providers of course told me that their network was great. Since Etisalat was offering the best sim card deals at that time, I decided to go with them.

But I wrote this sim card guide for you to not make the same mistake! There is only one recommended sim card for Egypt: Vodafone!

Was I satisfied with Etisalat? No! I found out later that Etisalat, after WE has the weakest network coverage in Egypt and rather often the signal was weak. Right in the middle of Cairo, the capital of Egypt I was suffering to find a strong signal and fast data speed!

Sorry Etisalat, but I expected better network coverage and faster internet speed.

A friend of mine who had an Orange prepaid sim card for Egypt so I could compare. As expected his network was constantly stronger than mine, especially inside buildings. Etisalat network performance inside buildings was pretty poor and that was in Cairo, imagine outside of the capital. Therefore I would not recommend an Etisalat prepaid sim card for traveling in Egypt.

On a recent trip to Hurghada I tested Etisalat again and it was the exact same story. Vodafone had good signal in my resort and on the islands in the Red Sea, the Etisalat signal was either 3G or not working at all.

Why I choose Etisalat again for my Hurghada trip? I arrived late at night and Vodafone and Orange shops were closed. Read more about it in my guide for buying a sim card at Hurghada Airport.

Vodafone has the best mobile data network in Egypt so a Vodafone prepaid sim card for your Egypt trip is the best choice. At Cairo Airport they are slightly more expensive than Orange and Etisalat, but if you want the best performance then buying a Vodafone sim card for Egypt is your best bid. Read more about it in my article about the best prepaid sim card in Egypt in 2025.

Vlog arrival and buying a sim card at Cairo Airport

Don't worry, you can't miss the sim card shops while waiting for your luggage, see my vlog below.

My YouTube video above shows what it is like arriving at Cairo Airport and where to buy a prepaid sim card for Egypt.

I hope all the above tips for buying an Egypt sim card at Cairo Airport were helpful. If you have any additional questions or remarks please leave me a comment below.

Interested in some cool photo spots around Cairo and Egypt then check out my wanderlust fuelling Instagram profile @traveltomtom. See what it is like to travel to every country in the world. As of January 2025 I have visited more than 155 countries.

Enjoy your trip to Egypt!